Page 73 - INDONESIAN ISLAMIC CULTURE IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES

grandchildren may be forever secure to convert to Islam, he thought that he king of Kedah who converted to Islam envoy to Java to ask the Sultan of Demak
and safe on the royal throne in the had adopted a foreign element in his life. and later changed his name to Sultan for armies to support him. The Sultan
land of Patani, Abode of Peace.” Then Although he had chosen Islam as his Mudzaffar Shah. Ever since, Sheikh would readily come to his assistance if
Sheikh Sa`id gave the eldest son religion, he limited himself to no longer Abdullah Yamani acted as the local the prince would convert to Islam. When
the name of Sultan Mudhaffar Syah, worshipping idols and eating pork, but community’s teacher of the Qur’an and the prince told of his readiness to do so,
and the middle one, the daughter, he he did not discontinue the rest of his all other knowledge related to the 5 supporting armies arrived accompanied
gave the name of Sitti `A’isyah, and pagan habits. pillars of Islam. The news about the King by Khatib Dayyan, an influential person
the youngest son he gave the name of Kedah’s conversion to Islam spread all who took care of the conversion. Prince
of Sultan Manzur Syah. After Sheikh Hikayat Marong Mahawangsa over the kingdom, and everywhere the Samudra embraced Islam and after
Sa`id had finished naming the children The Hikayat Marong Mahawangsa people hastened to embrace Islam. Having him, his aides did the same. When he
of the king, the king bestowed on (Kedah Annals) tells that in the region successfully converted Kedah, Sheikh had conquered Nagara-Daha, he was
Sheikh Sa`id a large quantity of gold of Kedah (now part of Malaysia), Islam Abdullah Yamani returned to Baghdad. 10 crowned and he took the name Sultan
and silver and a great variety of was probably spread by Sheikh Abdullah Suriansyah. He became the first Muslim
beautiful fabrics. Then Sheikh Sa`id Yamani who successfully convinced Hikayat Banjar sultan. The Hikayat says the following
respectfully took his leave of the King Phra Ong Mahawangsa to convert about this: “After Pangeran Samudra set
king and returned to his home in the to Islam. Sheikh Abdullah Yamani was This story starts in the beginning of the up his court in Banjarmasin he became
th
religious centre of Kampong Pasai. a disciple of Sheikh Abdullah Baghdad 16 century when Prince Samudra had a Muslim. He was converted by the
built a new palace in Banjarmasin. In the
At that time it was only the subjects who was said to have been a holy man Hikayat Banjar (The Banjar Chronicles), religious leader (panghulu) of Demak”.
11
within the town who became Muslim, whose prayers were efficacious and the Islamization of Banjar took place Because Sultan Suriansyah converted,
but of all the subjects outside the area were always fulfilled. Sheikh Abdullah after Pangeran Samudra’s rebellion many people also went over to Islam, and
of the town proper not one became Yamani was very good at reading the against his uncle, Prince Tumanggung, especially with the extensive support he
a Muslim. As for the king himself Qur’an and in explaining the meaning who held ground in Nagara-Daha. Prince had received, Islam grew massively and
it is true that he became a Muslim of its contents. One day, he visited King Samudra claimed his right as the ruler as flourished in the region. 12
inasmuch as he gave up worshipping Phra Ong Mahawangsa and the king it had been the wish of his grandfather
idols and eating pork; but apart from told him that he had had an incident who had previously handed down the Javanese Traditional
that he did not alter a single one of his with the chief of the devils. After having kingdom to him. Adopting his aides’ Historiography
heathen habits.9 related what he had experienced and advice, Prince Samudra dispatched an In Java, Islamization tends to be the

The quotes above describe an early who he was, Sheikh Abdullah Yamani 10. Marong Mahawangsa: The Kedah Annals, main theme of texts from the early period
process of Islamization in the Malay invited King Phra Ong Mahawangsa to (translated from a Malayan text by James Low
world. When the king of Patani decided convert to Islam. The King agreed at (publisher/??? 1908), p. 111, 166, as quoted by 11. J.J. Ras, Hikajat Bandjar: A Study in Malay
Historiography, (The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff,
once and he converted to Islam followed Jones in “Ten Conversion Myths from Indonesia”
9. A. Teeuw & D.K. Wyatt, Hikayat Patani, The … p. 146-147. See also Dzulkifli bin Mohd. Salleh 1968), pp. 439.
Story of Patani, (The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, by the queen and his subjects. King (ed.) Hikayat Marong Mahawangsa (Kuala Lumpur: 12. J.J. Ras, Hikajat Bandjar), pp. 426-441; Jones,
1970), 2 vols. Vol. 2:148-152. Phra Ong Mahawangsa was the first Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 1968). “Ten Conversion Myths from Indonesia”…p. 146-7.

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